Category Archives: Public Speaking Tips

Public Speaking Tips

How to Speak Like a Pro

How To Speak Like a Pro?

effective public speakingDo you want to speak like a pro? Fed up of giving dull presentations?
Learn the secrets from Presidents Kennedy and Obama. You too can put a man on the moon!   Check out the below article, How to Speak Like a Pro.

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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How to Speak Like a Pro   By Matthew Needham

On 25 May, 1961, President Kennedy stood before congress and delivered his famous “man on the moon” speech which mobilised 180m American’s to be the first country to put a man on the moon.

Not all presentations you give to your clients or teams will have such a powerful message as this, but nevertheless; there are a number of lessons which you can apply to give your presentations more impact.

1. Be yourself

You should never try to mimic someone else’s style. You need to develop your own and be authentic. You cannot talk about issues of importance to your audience when they don’t believe in you. That is not to say you can’t learn from the great masters. You should study them and learn from them.

2. Make it Relevant

When Kennedy stood up to address Congress there was a single black and white image of the moon . Nothing could be quite so evocative a backdrop for such a presentation.

Start by talking about the situation the audience faces. You want them to start by agreeing with you so your message becomes easier to sell. Once you have their attention you can lead them wherever you want to take them.

Start where your audience is, not where you are. Start talking by broadly describing the situation they are facing, then move on to talk about what’s on their minds and the challenges they are facing.

3. Keep it Simple

Throughout his presidential campaign, President Obama kept his message simple – “change you can believe in” – which is not only simple, it’s easy to remember. You too can keep it simple, even if you have a complicated subject such as finance or engineering and involving large amounts of technical data.

What’s your core message? When you start preparing your presentation or speech you will no doubt have a number of messages. Keep chiselling away at them until you have a single core message.

Once you have achieved this, then all of the other ideas can hang off it.

Don’t confuse a complete message with a persuasive one. Just because you’re presenting doesn’t mean the audience will grant you all the time in the world to deliver your message. Audiences have limited attention spans and a limited ability to absorb complex data.

4. Anticipate what your audience is thinking

Be aware that when you express one view the audience will automatically associate an opposite or alternative aspects to it as well.

A presentation that does not deal with these alternatives loses the audience’s attention because it fails to address the questions and concerns that come up in people’s minds.

Therefore, you need to anticipate it. Show your audience that you understand the opposite view better than they do, and explain why your proposal or argument is still superior.

5. Pace

Taking an extract from the “man on the moon” speech we see the following:

“These are extraordinary times // And we face an extraordinary challenge // Our strength as well as our convictions have imposed upon this nation the role of leader in freedom’s cause // No role in history could be more difficult or more important // We stand for freedom // That is our conviction for ourselves-that is our only commitment to others // No friend, no neutral and no adversary should think otherwise // We are not against any man-or any nation-or any system-except as it is hostile to freedom // Nor am I here to present a new military doctrine, bearing any one name or aimed at any one area. I am here to promote the freedom doctrine. …//”

He pauses for impact, for us to catch up with him. Break up your messages into short sentences and mark up with // to show breathing marks and speak it in the same way. Speak as though you have plenty of time, but not so much that it looks like you’re filling time!!

6. Impact, Emphasis and Body Language

When presenting you need to be conscious of where your hands are and that they aren’t too distracting by waving about.

If standing in front of an audience but without the benefit of a lectern to hide behind, stand with your feet slightly apart and with equal balance on each leg. Then with you palms crossed facing up and just in front of you – as if you were holding an egg, this is your default position. It’s fine to move your hand or point for emphasis, just be conscious you aren’t doing it too much.

Finally, you’ll need to rehearse. Practice calmly walking up to the lectern or the front of the room. Pause for effect. Arrange your papers calmly. Look out to the audience with a sense of command and with assertiveness. Then deliver your opening remarks.

Calmness bestows a sense of authority. If you appear in control, you will in fact gain control and command attention.

http://www.bigredtomatocompany.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Needham
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Speak-Like-a-Pro&id=2886927

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Active Listening Skills | Improve Your Listening Skills

Active Listening Skills

Improve Your Listening Skills with Active Listening
active-listening

Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. Being able to do it well has a positive impact on all aspects of your life, including how effective you are at work.

Research suggests, however, that we only remember 25-50 percent of what we hear, meaning that we could be missing important messages.

Key Points
It takes a lot of concentration and determination to be an active listener. Old habits are hard to break, and if your listening skills are as bad as many people’s are, then you’ll need to do a lot of work to break these bad habits.

There are five key techniques you can use to develop your active listening skills:

  1. Pay attention.
  2. Show that you’re listening.
  3. Provide feedback.
  4. Defer judgment.
  5. Respond appropriately.

Start using active listening techniques today to become a better communicator, improve your workplace productivity, and develop better relationships.


Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

To be a good speaker, we need to be a good listener.
The following are some good other resources on active listening skills.

Improving Listening Skill: 10 Ways to Better Listening by Dana

10 Ways to Be a Better Listener

  1.  Don’t interrupt the speaker.
  2.  Don’t change the subject in the middle of a conversation. Make sure that subject is finished before moving on.
  3.  Check your understanding by paraphrasing what the speaker said. 
  4.  Pay full attention to the speaker.
  5.  Maintain eye contact with the speaker.
  6. Don’t jump to conclusions before the speaker is finished speaking.
  7. Watch for emotional reactions and keep them in check.
  8.  Don’t say: That reminds me. . . or That’s nothing, let me tell you about… Listening is not thinking about one-upping the speaker.
  9.  Ask probing questions to gain understanding.
  10.  Remember the golden rule, it applies here too. Listen to others as you would like to have them listen to you.

The Guide to Better Listening eBooklet

Talk Less and Listen More by the people of Give More Media

Improve Your Results With Active Listening

Listening is one of the most common and important things that we do. Recent research on work behaviour suggests that we spend approximately 9% of our time writing, 16% of our time reading, 30% of our time talking and 45% of our time listening.

Listening is a fundamental part of the communication process. Regardless of the type of job you do or the industry in which you work, it is important to understand the listening process, have an awareness of barriers to listening effectively, and learn how to listen actively.

Listening as a process
Hearing and listening are not the same thing. In fact, hearing is just the first of three stages in the listening process, all of which are fairly obvious but still worth remembering.

Hearing Simply the process of sound waves being transformed by our brains into impulses.

Attention Important so that we can hear what is being said to us, but often difficult due to distractions such as noise intrusion or internal distractions such as thinking about something else rather than what is being said.

Understanding This is the most crucial aspect of the process on a number of levels. As well as understanding what is being said, we need to try to understand the context of the message, and understand the significance of any verbal or non-verbal clues from the speaker. Having a degree of background knowledge regarding the speaker or the subject is also helpful.

Barriers to listening
In most situations, there are a number of obstacles which can stop us from listening effectively, and as a trainer it is important to appreciate what these obstacles are and how to overcome each of them. Broadly speaking, there are four types of barriers to listening –

– Psychological barriers, including prejudice, apathy or fear on the part of the listener. For example, someone working in marketing or production may not be as interested in a presentation on annual financial results as an accountant or sales director, given that it may not directly impact on their day to day activities.

– Physical barriers, including disability, fatigue or poor health on the part of the listener. For example, trying to listen to a speaker for long periods while you are suffering from a heavy cold is a fairly difficult thing to do.

– Environmental barriers, including distracting noises, uncomfortable or poorly positioned seating, or an unsuitable climate such as an overheated, stuffy meeting room.

– Expectation barriers, such as anticipating a mundane or boring presentation, expecting to receive bad news, or being spoken to in confusing jargon.

In a work or educational situation, you can certainly address tangible barriers such as environmental factors or physical obstacles. Dealing with internal barriers can be more difficult, but a lot of this can be achieved by thorough preparation before any meetings or group sessions.

Active listening
In order to understand the concept and value of active listening, it is worth considering it as one of three different types of listening.

Competitive listening You will see this most often in negotiation situations, or when politicians are debating with each other. The person being spoken to is more interested in getting their own point of view across when the other person stops speaking, rather than acknowledging what they have just heard. Alternatively, they are distracted by thinking about their own argument or point of view rather than listening properly.

Passive or attentive listening This is always a danger in lecture style presentation sessions. An audience will pay attention to the slides and listen carefully to the speaker, but there is no real opportunity to interact. This means that the speaker may not know how well their message is being understood.

– Active listening This is the best way to listen for and understand the real message in what people are saying. It involves taking the next step from just listening attentively, by looking to show obvious interest in what the speaker is saying, and by trying to interact with them. As a manager, salesperson or trainer you need to try to use active listening yourself, and provide opportunities for colleagues, customers and learners to use active listening techniques as well. This is of particular importance when involved in informal training activities such as coaching and mentoring.

In terms of outlining the techniques which can be used for active listening, it is useful to think back to the three basic stages of the listening process – hearing, attention and understanding.

Hearing and attention
– First and hopefully obviously, stop talking.
– Try to eliminate as many distractions as possible, both external and internal.
– Try to control your own non-verbal signals to the person speaking. This could mean paying attention to your physical stance, your body movements, eye contact with the speaker, and encouraging motions such as nodding or smiling.

Understanding
– Make sure that you understand the purpose of the speaker, and also be aware of you want from the conversation.
– It also helps to take notes, but try to focus on writing down keywords and phrases that will jog your memory later, rather than trying to write down everything that is being said in an act of dictation.
– If possible, try to ask questions. You can use the notes you have written to remind you of points that need clarification. Try not to interrupt though!
– Finally, try to use the technique of reflecting what the speaker says to you.

Reflecting
This is a technique used extensively by people involved in consultative selling, but it is also a very useful tool for anyone involved in business, education, training or voluntary work. Communication can be broken down into three levels – facts, thoughts (or beliefs) and feelings (or emotions). Reflecting works on all three levels.

– Repeat the facts that you think you have been given by the speaker. This is sometimes referred to as ‘parroting’. If you are right, you know that you are getting the basic elements of what the speaker is telling you. If you have made any mistakes, this gives you both an opportunity to get back on to the same page.

– Also, share the thoughts or beliefs that you have heard, and try to convey the underlying feelings or emotions which you believe are involved. For example, the speaker may be very upset and wants you to display empathy or sympathy with their situation. It is this reflection of thoughts and feelings which distinguishes reflecting from just parroting back to the speaker, which might get a bit tedious and annoying for all concerned.

Again, this is a very useful tool when coaching or mentoring. It can also be used during feedback sessions in a more formal situation such as a performance review meeting.

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Effective Ways to Control Your Stage Fright

Don’t Let Stage Fright Make You A Bad Speaker

stage-fright-dog

Just because you have to deal with stage fright does not mean that you have to be a bad speaker. I don’t know anyone that does not have a difficult time speaking in front of an audience to one degree or another. In fact, a healthy amount of fear while giving a speech will help you to be a better speaker. So you have a choice to make, you can either fall apart because you are afraid to speak in front of an audience or you can use your fear to help you to be the best speaker possible. Here are some typical problems that many new speakers face that can make you a bad speaker and can easily be overcome with a little practice.

Some people that have anxieties tend to take their problems to the opposite extreme. For example, if somebody is dealing with stage fright they may overcompensate by becoming overly relaxed. This will not come across as you being relaxed and poised to your audience. What it will do, however, is to make you a poor speaker. One classic example of this is that many new speakers that are nervous will overcompensate for their nervousness by leaning on the podium or becoming overly familiar with a strange audience. It is necessary to maintain your composure by standing up tall when you’re speaking and to build a relationship with your audience during the course of your presentation. Do not allow your nervousness to make you seem arrogant.

Another problem that many people have is that they let their nervousness show up by using unnatural body infections. I once heard a talk that was given by somebody that was supposed to be experienced yet the entire time that they were speaking they were jingling their keys in their pocket. This was not only distracting but it also showed that the person was nervous and was difficult to concentrate on the information that they were trying to convey. Nervousness can also show up in over gesturing or facial tics. One of the best ways to pick up on this kind of a problem is to have somebody videotape you giving the presentation in front of a group of trusted friends. You can then watch yourself for any of your body movements that come across as being unnatural.

The most important thing in dealing with stage fright is that you do not allow your audience to know that you are nervous. Many speakers will feed off of the emotions of their audience and if they are able to control the situation they’re stage fright will disappear quickly after they began their presentation. This is something that is very important to remember because if you are dealing with severe stage fright you need to handle yourself correctly from the beginning in order to overcome it. Once you realize that you are in control of the situation it will be much easier for you to relax and to go through your information in a logical and comfortable manner.

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Overcoming The Symptoms Of Stage Fright

Fear of public speakingIf you suffer from stage fright in any form then I’m sure that you would like to be able to overcome those problems. Since stage fright can take on many different forms and have a wide variety of symptoms so it is difficult to diagnose each case in one article. What we can do, however, is to speak about a few of the most common symptoms of stage fright and what you can do to overcome them. This will help to cover the basics and will also give you an idea of what you can do to overcome any additional stage fright symptoms that you may be experiencing. Here are the top three stage fright symptoms and what you can do to overcome them before you take the platform.

Dry Mouth – this is a very annoying problem to have, especially when you are going to be speaking in a public engagement. Because your dry mouth will cause you to do things like smacking your lips uncontrollably and it will also change the pitch and tone of your voice. If you are suffering from dry mouth then you need to take a moment to relax, and then go suck a lemon. This may seem like a rather flip comment, but it actually works. The sourness of the lemon will cause your mouth to produce saliva for a long period of time. If you are going to be speaking for a long time,  then have some lemon water on the platform for you to sip during your speech.

Shaky Hands – The problem of shaking is not usually confined to only the hands, but this is where it is typically noticed because of you holding your notes. At times your hands may shake so much that you are not able to read your own notes and this can bring your presentation to a screeching halt. Other than really being able to relax a little bit there are very few options to overcome this problem. I have found, however, that holding my notes with two hands will help a great deal. The only other option that you really have is to have a place to set your notes, such as a podium or perhaps even have them on a clipboard.

Shaky Knees – The problem of your knees knocking together is actually something that has been around for thousands of years, the first written instance of it being recorded in the Bible. So you are actually in good company when it comes to having a problem with shaking knees. There are also a few options to be able to overcome this, but one of the best ways is to shift your weight a little bit from side to side. It is necessary to stand straight with your feet below you in order to appear poised for your speech. But there is nothing wrong with shifting your weight slightly to overcome shaky knees provided you do not draw notice to it from your audience.

There are many other things that could go wrong whenever you are giving your speech. One of the best things to do is just to be prepared to take a deep breath during your talk without being too noticeable about it. The moment that you take a deep breath you will find that you will regain your composure to one degree or another.

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“Youtube Video – 6 Ways to Control Your Stage Fright”

Professional speaker and communication coach Dr. Bill Lampton tells you how to control your stage fright, in six easy steps…

Here is the transcript.

Hello! I’m Bill Lampton welcome to another version of let’s talk about it. Today we’re going to talk about six ways to control your stage fright. Notice that I didn’t say eliminated we never really get rid of it even seasoned performers like Carly Simon and Barbra Streisand stayed away from audiences for years because they didn’t want to face a live audience.

You might want to know Bill you’re a professional speaker. Do you ever get stage fright? Yeah, I still do but I’ve found six ways to control it and I want to share those with you.

  1. PREPARE.

In the first place, PREPARE. It sounds like an oversimplification but it really does matter. Prepare, this is something that I tell the people that I work with when I’m providing executive coaching so that they can improve their presentation skills. One of the comments I make is the more preparation you have ahead of time, the less perspiration you have during the speech.

  1. PUT IN PERSPECTIVE.

The second thing I would say is PUT YOUR SPEAKING in PERSPECTIVE while the event is so important to you and seems even monumental. Remember it’s really not likely to be earth-shattering. In fact, in your lifetime in mind there are only a few speeches that have changed history. Don’t expect yours too. In fact, your job will probably not be in jeopardy nor will any other relationships nor your reputation if you give one bad speech.  Roger Ailes said you have 720 hours in the month what if one of those hours is a bad speech you’ve still got many other great hours in your month.

  1. THINK ABOUT SYMPTOMS.

Again, I would say, think about the symptoms of stage fright: sweaty palms, your throat gets constricted and dry you. Wish you could have a drink of water. Your hands are trembling. Your knees are shaking. Your stomach is churning. But wait, think about it all of these are internal, not external and the audience won’t be aware of them. This is one of the great values of videotapes. Playback one of your speeches that you gave and you’ll be amazed you’ll say gosh you know I was so scared but it didn’t show at all. Therefore, don’t ever tell your audience that you’re afraid because they’re not likely to know it unless you tip them off and that will diminish their confidence in you.

  1. AUDIENCES ARE FRIENDLY.

Speaking of audiences.  Let’s remember that we need to change our attitude about audiences. Audiences are not waiting to be our critics they’re waiting to be our cheerleaders. Why? Because they have been in the same situation themselves and frankly they’re glad that you’re the one up there speaking and not them. Think about it. When you sit in an audience do you want the speaker to fail? No. You want the speaker to succeed because failure is very uncomfortable for everybody.

  1. FORGET IMPRESSION.

Another point DON’T TRY to MAKE a GREAT IMPRESSION If that sounds contradictory, there is another side to it. If you are trying to make a great impression, your focus is on yourself. Your focus instead should be on the message and on the audience that you want to receive that message. So don’t think about what’s my gesture inappropriate. Don’t mispronounce a word did I stumble here are there. No. Think instead about the message that you want to convey to this audience.

  1. THE TRUMP CARD

And then to I would suggest. Remember that you as the speaker hold the trump card. If you play bridge you know how powerful the trump card is. The trump card makes you a winner. Okay? Likewise in speaking, you have the trump card because you and only you know what you intended to say what you meant to say. So if you leave out something or if you miss the state of fact, don’t beat yourself over the head about that. Never let the audience know that you’re aware of it because they certainly aren’t.

Now take these six tips that I have mentioned and use them they really work they have worked for me and for many veteran speakers and they will work for you. I’m Bill Lampton and I’m glad we got to talk about it.
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Reducing Stage Fright to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Stage fright is by far the most common reason for people to develop their fear of speaking in public and reducing stage fright to overcome your fear of public speaking may be the best way to go.

There is actually no definite science that will help you reduce your fear of public speaking, but surely, here are some common steps to use to make it work for you.

Try to accept the fear and embrace it, not that you want your fear to take over, but for you to know how your fear works and understand its nature.
Don’t try to fight the feeling, instead, try to look for a way around it.
Rest assured, your fear will pass more easily once you get to terms with it and not be frightened about it anymore.

Next, try to feed yourself with the idea of calming exercises and gain firm footing by taking deep and slow gentle breaths to help relax your mind and body.

You may also aid this by thinking of positive thoughts and enjoyable images to help clear your mind and attention to the matter at hand.

Never ever try to lose track of reality and stay connected with what goes on around and what is happening at the present moment.

Listen closely to others and pay attention to what goes on around you.
Make the most of the situation by telling yourself of supportive, positive, encouraging and esteemable things.

Think of yourself as your greatest fan and supporter, who could help you go through the circumstance of fear you hope to overcome.

Reflect on your past successes and make the most out of our strengths and abilities, by drawing out that inner strength within you to make you weather through the situation.

Practice makes perfect since it is important to help you keep track of focus by mastering your topic or subject.

Maintain a positive mental attitude, since it will surely reflect on your current disposition and attitude towards your audience.

Make sure to prepare ahead of time and never ever entertain the thought of cramming. Rehearsing more and even overdoing it can be good for you since it will help you gain mastery of your subject matter.

Always make it a point to project confident and self-assured attitude. Body posture is an important indicator so try to make it look as if everything is fine even if you don’t feel like it. Your body language can tell if you are at your weak spot or not.

Always have focus, never try to be distracted by anything, lest you lose your train of thought and panic. If it should happen just try to pause for a while and compose your thoughts.

Avoid trying to be perfect or be number one. The key to overcoming your fear is not against others but convincing yourself that you are doing a good job and you are good at it. Try to avoid focusing on what mistakes could happen, but on what you think you can do to better improve your performance.

Surely, these are things you may be able to do on your own without having to spend countless amounts of money, just as long as you know that reducing stage fright is the best way to overcome your fear of public speaking.
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Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Public Speaking Tips : 10 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Public Speaking Tips: 10 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

How to improve your public speaking skills?
You can check out the below article.

Practice is the key to helping you improve on your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills
 by Colleen Kettenhofen

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, “to overcome the fear of public speaking.” It’s okay to have “butterflies.” The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Rehearsing, or “rehearing” yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

2. Either memorize or “know cold” your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. The second most important thing they’ll remember is your opener. Start with something attention-grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, “Good Morning.” It is obvious and boring.

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won’t be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewriting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be “fast food for the eyes” in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you’re not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you “speak the language” of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the “lowest common denominator.” Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they’re used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to “sell” them not simply “tell” them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness by 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is “What if they ask a question and I don’t know the answer?” Or, “What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn’t like me?” Avoid being argumentative. If you don’t know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a “wake up call” to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen
About The Author

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of “The Masters of Success,” as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com. Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com.

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5 Public Speaking Tips

Youtube Video – 5 Public Speaking Tips

“For many people, public speaking is a major fear. However, Eyewitness News 5’s Maggie Carlo talks with a local expert who not only explains why it’s a common fear but how you can conquer it.”

The video is produced by KOCO.com, Oklahoma City.speaking tips

It shares 5 tips on public speaking:

  • Index your info with keywords
  • Prepare, but don’t over prepare
  • Make direct eye contact with audience
  • Be authentic
  • Speak in conversational speaking style

Enjoy!

Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. If you are a Fearful Public Speaker living in Singapore, please come to visit our toastmaster club.

Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club  holds regular chapter meetings where members gather to improve their public speaking and communication skills.

Our Club is one of the warmest toastmasters club in Singapore.
Guests are welcome to visit us!  It’s free of charge.
Just come, relax and see what toastmasters are all about!

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Youtube Video – Story Telling

Story Telling

Public speakers like to tell stories as part of their presentation. Why?
People love to hear stories. A well told story will capture listeners’ attention.

Tell a story. Make a point.
Stories Sell…

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning speaker.
Check out her below video about “Stories Sell”.

Here is the transcript the the speech:

“No speech is going to be memorable unless it’s full of really fascinating stories. Listen to the secret formulas behind them. 

I want you to upgrade the caliber of your stories.  When you are talking to people, practice telling the stories. The secret is they need to have what I call the Hollywood model: character dialogue and dramatic lesson learned which is of course doing business with you is the best way to plan your vacations. 

But whenever you are telling a story to a prospect, make sure it is populated with flesh and blood characters. Just like the people you were talking to. Because what I’ve been doing today I’ve been telling stories. They have a point that they tell a story. People don’t remember what you say. People remember the story and the picture that is created in their minds while they listen to you.

Robert McKee the screenwriter said stories of the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful clearer more meaningful experience.  And given the choice of a trivial story well told or a brilliant story badly told, an audience of one or 1,000 would rather hear a trivial story well told. Stories are the currency of human contact. Encourage your happy satisfied clients not only tell you the story that you can repeat but to tell all their friends. This is the point. People will resist a sales presentation, but nobody can resist a good story well told.”

story telling

The toastmasters program has an advanced manual called “Story Telling”.

“The manual enables you to develop a new set of speaking skills. It allows you to have fun as you learn the art of storytelling. Join a toastmasters club!

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environments. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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